3 easy ways to beat meat without a kitchen hammer

There are several ways to beat meat for chops without a kitchen hammer. For this purpose, a large chef's knife, a wooden rolling pin, a glass bottle, a carpenter’s hammer, an hatchet, a flat stone are suitable ... But not all methods are equally good.

When choosing suitable improvised products, it is important to remember that you need to soften the muscle fibers a little, and not tear them. A piece of meat should remain intact, without holes and torn edges. To do this correctly, several interesting techniques are used.

1 way - with a knife

If you took the lean portion of pork with you when leaving for the country, but there is no special hammer, you should not cook meat without preliminary processing. After all, you certainly will have a knife. Lean meat must be massaged and broken long longitudinal fibers, otherwise it will be hard and dry when roasted.

It will take 3 things:

• large knife with a wide blade and a heavy handle;
• cutting board;
• tight package.

You need to act like this:

• The meat is rinsed with water if necessary, cleaned of films.
• For chops, pork is cut into slices 15–20 mm thick.
• So that the spray in the process does not fly in all directions, each piece is wrapped in a film or bag.
• For work, use the thin side of the knife, but not sharp, but blunt.
• You need to knock on a piece in different directions: first, strikes are applied, moving from left to right, and then from bottom to top.
• The procedure is carried out three times on one side, after the piece is turned over and the same thing is repeated on the other side.

As you can see, everything is simple. The main thing is not to overdo it and handle the knife carefully.

2 way - a wine or beer bottle

It is better to use a heavy thick-walled glass bottle. You can beat off the neck or bottom.

If there is no glass container, you can use a plastic one filled with water for weight.

It is not recommended to beat the beef with a glass bottle, it will be quite difficult to break hard fibers.

In the process you will need:

• a bottle of 0.5 or 0.7 liters of glass;
• cutting board;
• knife;
• plastic water bottle.

We act like this:

• Cut the chicken fillet or pork tenderloin with a sharp knife into flat parts.
• The bottle is well washed under running water with a soapy solution and rinsed.
• If the bottle is glass, we beat off both sides with a clean neck, treating the entire area. When working with a plastic bottle, the bottom is used, which can additionally be wrapped in a film or bag.

3 way - with a carpenter's hammer

In the country or on a camping trip, a carpentry tool may be at hand. Something heavy with a flat, blunt side is suitable to deliver heavy blows without injuring the meat. For example, a small hatchet or hammer.

You will need:

• board;
• knife;
• hammer or hatchet;
• several plastic bags.

Heavy tools can break the fibers in beef and pork, and the chicken must be handled very carefully so as not to tear a whole piece into pieces.

We act like this:

• We cut the meat into pieces with a knife, wrap it in a bag.
• Joiner tools are also wrapped in polyethylene to comply with hygiene rules.
• Without using too much force, we beat off both sides twice.

What meat is being beaten?

For chops, meat of different types is used:

• poultry fillet (chicken, duck, turkey);
• various lean parts of pork;
• less commonly, lamb or veal.

In a bird, the muscle tissue is tender; during heat treatment it does not come out too stiff. It can be beaten off a little if thick parts are used.

If we are talking about pork or veal, then at home housewives must break the fibers for soft rolls and chop. In nature or in camping conditions, this procedure can be done if the pieces are thicker than one centimeter. Thin meat is better not to process, so as not to remove all the juice from it and not get too dry product after frying.

Why beat the chicken?

The bird is used to make tender rolls, stuffed rolls, large and juicy chop, for "meat in French." If the fillet is properly processed before preparing these dishes, the result is excellent.

When working with chicken or turkey fillet, be sure to:

• cut portioned slices at least 1 cm thick .;
• before beating, put the meat in a bag so as not to spoil the appearance and avoid splashing (before placing a piece in a bag, you can season it with spices and salt);
• remove the beaten meat from the bag and transfer to a bowl for half an hour for marinating.

If you beat meat at home on a table, a damp rag or kitchen towel will help to avoid excessive noise. It is placed under a cutting board for the duration of the hammer, and the noise disappears.